Microorganisms have been extensively evaluated in several bio-logical based products made available to farmers for applications in agricultural development. These conventional developments in biotechnology, primarily designed to increase agricultural produc-tivity and reducing synthetic chemical inputs, have gained inter-est as techniques for enhancing and preserving the status of soil health. In contrast to the concept of modern biotechnology, which involves deliberate manipulation of genes from different species to produce transgenic organisms using recombinant DNA or direct nucleic acid injection. In this context, plant phenotype character-istics have historically been selected, whereas significant benefi-cial interactions between plants and microbes that influence soil health have been ignored during selection of elite crop variety.

North east India is a major biodiversity hotspot as it is bestowed with various natural resources. Meghalaya, in particular is known to house many horticultural crops, out of which, the great diversity of Musa sp is highly significant. In the present study, 21 genotypes of Musa sp. were collected from five distcits of Garo Hills of Meghalaya, India and were analyzed to understand their morphologi-cal and genetic variation. The intra-specific relationship prevalent among them was also evaluated. Some important morphological parameters were selected to understand the variation present in the collected genotypes. Further, three single primer based DNA markers viz. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD), Inter Simple Sequence Repeats (ISSR) and Directed Amplifications of Mini-satellite DNA (DAMD) were chosen for the diversity analysis.

Rice blast disease can be prevented by spraying chemicals, by a reduction in the use of excessive nitrogenous fertilizers, and by adopting biocontrol methods. The use of host resistance varieties to P. oryzae is reasonable and the most economical alternative and environmentally favorable way to control rice blast disease. The objective of this study was to assess the level of resistance on differ-ent rice genotypes at the seedling stage against blast disease in field conditions at Bangaun, Lamahi, Dang, Nepal. Locally available, improved, and hybrid rice genotypes were screened at the seedling stage against rice blast disease (Pyricularia oryzae) at Bangaun, Lamahi, Dang, Nepal in the summer season.

Farmers who apply traditional practices can grow different crops in a dense system, mixed on the same piece of land that changes crop randomly. Several animals can be kept, such as chick-ens, pigs, cattle, sheep, which scatter manure in their feeding plac-es, thus providing small amounts of plant fertilizers, and the use of mineral fertilizers and pesticides is very low. Usually, for these farmers, the land area is small. Crops may be enough to feed the family, and some may be sold for current income. These farmers al-ready carry out certain practices of organic farming, relying on the farm’s own resources, cultivating different crops simultaneously and raising animals. However, there are practices that clearly dis-tinguish these households from organic farms.

The main sources of water entering the soil are precipitation, condensation of vaporous water from the atmosphere and ground-water. It is known that not all the amount of atmospheric precipita-tion gets into the soil. Liquid precipitation can drain off as a result of surface runoff. The amount of their losses depends on many fac-tors, the most important of which are: the angle of inclination of the surface, the intensity and amount of incoming precipitation, the physical properties of the soil, as well as the degree of projec-tive soil coverage by plants. The redistribution of solid precipita-tion over the territory is also rather uneven due to wind transport, the snow-holding capacity of plants and various kinds of barriers.

Amaranthus viridis is a vegetable crop of the Nigerian people with great economic and medicinal potentials. A study was con-ducted to investigate effect of Telfairia mosaic virus on growth, yield and phytonutrients of Amaranthus viridis. Seeds of A. viridis were obtained, sown and on germination inoculated with TeMV, effect on growth and yield assessed at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 12 weeks after inoculation (WAI), minerals and vitamins analyzed at 8 WAI. Results revealed that TeMV decreased growth and yield of A. viridis by 58.8% (leaf area), shoot height (59.0%), number of primary shoot (51.5%), number of leaves produced (60.5%), leaf fresh weight (65.7%) and leaf dry weight (54.9%) at 12 WAI. Decrease in shoot fresh weight was 30.2%, root dry weight (22.4%). At 4 WAI, rela-tive growth rate suffered reduction of 33.3%, net assimilation rate 40.2% while leaf area ratio had a decrease of 42.1% at 12 WAI. The virus caused reduction in copper, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and sodium, effect on potassium, and manganese was not significant. Decrease in leaf Cu was 91.0%, stem (90.5%) and root (90.1%). The virus engendered drastic reduction in thiamine, pyridoxine, ß-carotene, ascorbic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate, a-tocopherol and riboflavin. Thiamine had reduction of 62.0% (leaf), 52.0% (stem), and 40.7% (root). The presence of medicinal nutrients in all plant parts affirmed A. viridis whole plant usage in traditional medical practice. Reduction in economic and medicinal potentials confirmed negative impact of TeMV on A. viridis neces-sitating its control.

The performance and productivity of rice crop is influenced by the genotype of the crop which is also location specific. A field experiment was conducted to recognize the suitable rice genotypes in terms of yield and performance at Baniyani, Jhapa. The experi-ment was carried out in RCBD design with three replication and eight treatments (genotypes). Two genotypes were used as check: Hardinath-1 for yield and earliness while Chaite-5 for quality whereas remaining six were pipeline genotypes namely: IR16L1636, IR98846-2-1-4-3, IR16L1831, IR15L1544, 1R16L1411 and IR-10N-118. There were 24 experimental units each of 9 m2. Various data including Plant height (cm), Number of tiller (/m2), Effective tiller (/m2), Panicle length(cm), Number of grain per panicle, Sterility (%), Thousand grain weight (gm), Seed length (cm), Seed diameter (cm), Grain yield (kg), Straw yield (kg), Harvest index (%), Num-ber of borer and smut infestation (/m2) and all results were significant at all parameters except for number of tiller at vegetative growth, panicle length (cm) and sterility (%). Earliness was observed in Hardinath-1, plant height was high in IR16L1831, number of tiller was found more in Chaite-5, number of effective tiller was high in IR98846-2-1-4-3, panicle length was observed long in IR-10N-118, number of grain per panicle was more in Chaite-5, sterility was also high in Chaite-5, thousand grain weight of IR16L1831 was high, seed length was found high in IR16L1831 while seed diameter of IR16L1636 was more.

Fruit pulp of twelve Sechium edule Indian accessions were analyzed for phenolic acid and flavonoid constituents. The quantitative evaluation was performed using liquid chromatography mass spectrophotometer method, which showed significant differences in the composition of phenolic acids and flavonoids among accessions. Vanillic acid was the predominant phenolic acid in most of the accessions ranging from 269.28 to 4080.82 µg/g. High amounts of vanillic acid in accession SEC-11 (4080.82 ± 130.92 µg/g) and SEC-06 (1825.46 ± 24.54 µg/g), protocatechuic acid (1736.59 ± 94.90 µg/g) in SEC-09 and syringic acid (1676.97 ± 70.35 µg/g) in SEC-20 was detected respectively. The highest amount of flavonoid present was catechin in the accessions SEC-36 (75.83 ± 4.37 µg/g) followed by SEC-20 (19.43 ± 0.64 µg/g). Data were analyzed using principal component analysis method and the obtained scoring plot showed that all nine accessions had formed one cluster. Discrimination of metabolic profiles of different S. edule accessions us-ing principal component analysis showed that accessions grouping was consistent with the LC-MS results obtained. This method of estimation of metabolites can be successfully employed enabling genetic grouping of S. edule accessions in an effective manner for breeding studies.

Indigenous knowledge is local knowledge that social capital of the poor people, exploring and demonstrating their life. It is unique, traditional, local knowledge that exists within and is de-veloped around the specific conditions of people indigenous to a particular geographic area in a particular period [1]. Indigenous knowledge is the consequence of practical knowledge and it con-tinually influenced by internal creativity and experimentation. It is found to be socially attractive, economically profitable, sustain-ability and involves minimum risk to rural farmers and producers.Besides, indigenous knowledge systems provide a frame for refer-ence in strengthening agricultural extension programmes. There-fore identifying, documenting and incorporating indigenous tech-nical knowledge in agriculture is essential to achieve sustainable agricultural development.

The chemical composition and antimicrobial evaluation of three tropical seeds African oil bean (Pentaclethra macrophylla(BENTH), African bush mango (Irvingia gabonensis var gabonensis (Baill), and African walnut (Tetracarpidium conophorum (Hutch and Dalziel), were investigated. Raw and cooked portions of each of the seeds of the P. macrophylla, I. gabonensis var gabonensis and T. conophorum, were used for the instigation. The parameters considered were proximate composition, mineral content, phytochemical determination. Results obtained showed that the composition varied significantly between the raw and cooked seeds. Generally, the moisture, Protein, Fat, Fibre Ash and Carbohydrate composition of the raw seeds were higher than those obtained from the cooked seeds. Protein content was higher in T. conophorum (28.59 ± 0.10 raw and 24.09 ± 0.10 cooked), followed by that of P. macrophylla (22.46 ± 0.10, raw and 20.54 ± 0.10 cooked) the least was in I. gabonensis var gabonensis (13.59 ± 0.10, raw and 11.20 ± 0.17, cooked). I. gabonensis var gabonensis contained more fats (51.53 ± 0.19 for raw and 46.45 ± 0.13 for, cooked) than P. macrophylla (43.06 ±0.09, for raw and 41.90 ± 0.05 for, cooked). T. conophorum had less fat of 38.55 ± 0.09 for raw and 31.89 ± 0.17 for, cooked. Similarly, I. gabonensis var gabonensis contained more Carbohydrates (24.15 ± 0.10 for raw and 32.54 ± 0.37 for, cooked) than T. conophorum andP. macrophylla with 11.81 ± 0.33 for raw and 26.87 ± 1.48 for cooked, 18.74 ± 0.31 for raw and 24.16 ± 0.19 for cooked, respectively.

An experiment entitled “Standardization of Growing Media for Pot Culture of Crown Lily (Fritillaria imperialis L.)’’ was carried out at the Floricultural experimental field SKUAST-K during the year 2017-18. The investigation involved 11 treatment combinations (T1= Soil/control, T2=Soil + Sand 1:1, T3 = Soil + Sand 2:1, T4 = Soil +Sand +FYM 1:1:1, T5 = Soil + Sand + FYM 1:1:2, T6 = Soil +Sand + Vermicompost1:1:1, T7 = Soil + Sand + Vermicompost 1:1:2, T8 = Soil +Sand + Sheep manure 1:1:1, T9 = Soil + Sand + Sheep manure 1:1:2, T10 = Soil + Sand + Forest litter 1:1:1 and T11 = Soil +Sand + Forest litter 1:1:2) laid out in triplicate Completely Randomized De-sign (CRD). The results of the study revealed that the treatment T11 (Soil +Sand + Forest litter 1:1:2) significantly improved vegetative, floral and yield attributes of crown lily. Maximum plant height(73.47 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (63.33), floret length (5.87 cm), weight of main bulb (149.25 g), number of bulblets per bulb (2.00) was recorded in treatment T11 (Soil +Sand + Forest litter 1:1:2) while as the minimum plant height (61.00 cm), number of leaves plant-1 (50), floret length (4.33 cm), weight of main bulb (141. g), number of bulblets bulb-1 (1.00) was recorded in treatment T1 (control/Soil).

Calculation of the dynamics of soil moisture is used in hydro-logical models to calculate the inflow of water into the channel network, in hydrophysical models to take into account the physical processes of moisture movement and evaporation, as well as in ag-rometeorological models to obtain information on the processes of moisture and desiccation of the soil of an agricultural field.

The present study aimed to develop a novel, efficient and cost effective protocol for in-vitro micro propagation of tomato male sterile line and consisted of two experiments viz., Standardization of protocol for sterilizing the explants for in vitro micro propaga-tion of tomato male sterile line (Shalimar FMS-1) and development of protocol for in vitro shoot and root regeneration in tomato male sterile line in a single medium. Among various sterilization treatments, sodium hypochlorite (1.0%) for 45 seconds showed the high-est survival percentage of explants (100% for hypocotyl and 91.66% for single node cutting) and minimum contamination (16.17% for hypocotyl and 17.22% in case of single node cutting). Among twenty-seven modified MS media treatment combinations, the treat-ment combination T-14 (MS medium supplemented with calcium D pantothenate 2 mg l-1 + calcium chloride 440 mg l-1 + gibberillic acid 0.4 mg l-1) resulted in maximum root and shoot regeneration, recorded maximum shoot and root length. The protocol developed is therefore proposed for micropropagation of tomato male sterile line Shalimar FMS-1 from the tomato explants in a single modified MS medium overcoming the requirement of two MS media, one for root regeneration and the other for shoot regeneration thus sav-ing more than 50% of the time and media required for microplant regeneration This protocol overcomes the inefficient, expansive, time consuming and cumbersome nature of already available protocols which require two media (rooting and shooting media) while this proposed protocol ensures complete root and shoot regeneration from an explant (single node cutting/ hypocotyl) in a single modified MS medium.

Everyone makes or has ambitions, But only few will succeed, the rest get caught in the gab of intentions and action. Africa is a great continent with lots of prospect. Africa is one of the richest continent in terms of agriculture, minerals and culture but remains the poorest continent. Most Africans don’t accept that real battle grounds is in the mind

Growing of fruits, flowers and vegetables in the terraces or balconies is known as terrace gardening